6 JAX AIR NEWS, NAS JACKSONVILLE, Thursday, May 27, 2010 VP-45 holds change of command From VP-45 1t1f I - Cmdr. Michael Doherty relieved Cmdr. Andrew Smith as the 69th com- manding officer of VP-45 at Hangar 117 aboard NAS Jacksonville May 14. Honored guests, family mem- bers and the Sailors of the VP-45 "Pelicans" attended the ceremo- ny where Cmdr. Paul Ditch also assumed duties as executive offi- cer. The guest speaker was Capt. James Hoke, the last command- er of Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Five in Brunswick, Maine. He congratulated Smith on a suc- cessful year as commanding offi- cer and wished Doherty luck for his time as skipper stating, "You have large shoes to fill, which I am sure you will do with great success. Doherty was born and raised in Glastonbury, Ct. and graduat- ed from the United States Naval Academy in 1992. Following initial P-3 training at VP-30, Doherty was assigned to VP-23 at NAS Brunswick, Maine. Following the squadron's decom- missioning, he remained in Maine and reported to VP-8 in July 1996. In May 1999, Doherty reported to VP-30 as a fleet replacement squadron instructor pilot. Doherty reported to PCU Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in March 2002 as the ship's first cat- apult and arresting gear officer. During the first ship's deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, he was designated USS Ronald Reagan's first "Shooter," launching the first aircraft off the ship's catapult. In January 2004, Doherty reported to VP-16 for his department head tour followed by a tour with Navy Personnel Command as the aircraft carrier placement officer. Prior to reporting to VP-45, Doherty served as the execu- tive officer of VP-30 while also earning a Master's Degree in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas. Doherty assumed duties as VP-45 execu- tive officer in May of 2009. Doherty is married to the for- mer Lynn Massarelli of Acton, Mass., and they have four chil- dren, Mike, Ally, Kylie, and Jake. The ceremony celebrated an extremely successful year for VP-45. Under Smith's guidance the squadron effectively tran- sitioned from pre-deployment workups to a challenging multi- site deployment operating in the Pacific Command and Southern Command Fleet areas of responsi- bility (AOR). In December 2009, VP-45 returned from deployment and started the demanding inter- deployment readiness cycle in preparation for their next deploy- ment in 2011. While on deployment, VP-45 executed more than 500 missions and 11 detachments encompass- ing over 3,321 mishap-free flight hours in support of C7F opera- tional tasking and C4F counter- drug operations. During this time, VP-45 crews flew the most / Cmdr. Michael Doherty, right, officially relieves Cmdr. Andrew Smith as change of command ceremony May 14. successful and longest anti-sub- marine warfare prosecution of an out-of-area deployment in the Seventh Fleet AOR, maritime counter proliferation interdiction operations against North Korea, and seized over 20 metric tons of illegal narcotics. Shortly after return from deployment, VP-45 supported the nations of Haiti during post earthquake recovery efforts. In recognition of their dedicated maintenance and by-the-book procedures throughout the pre- vious year, the Pelicans were awarded the 2009 Chief of Naval Operations Safety "S" Award. In his remarks, Smith spoke of the many successes of the Pelican family and praised the men and women of the squadron for their 0 adomL VP-45 commanding Officer during the dedication, loyalty, and profes- sionalism. He also thanked the spouses and family members of VP-45 and recognized the many sacrifices they made which enabled the Pelicans to accom- plish their job. Smith will transfer to Japan, where he will be working for CTF- 72, currently headquartered in Atsugi. I I